Great Britain Evasion (Imitation, Non Regal) Token 1680 to 1800

This is an interesting piece. George III was King of England in 1788. As often happened in those days, there was a lack of government-issued circulating currency to support commerce. Trademen took it upon themselves, therefore, to issue their own currency. While the imitation coins bore an image that looked like George III, the risk of severe punishment drove the imitators to write Gregory III Pon, not George III Rex, on the 'evasion' coinage. A smart move, in my opinion!

BTW, such shortages are not limited to Great Britain. They happen all the time. Germany's emergency money was called Notgeld. In America, the Civil War caused a lack of circulating coinage and Civil War Tokens were the result.

The example in our picture comes from MuenzenUndMedaillen GmbH in Weil am Rhein, Germany. It is is good shape and would sell retail around $30 to $50 US dollars. CoinQuest thanks Muenzen und Medaillen for use of their coin image.

There are dedicated people who study such pieces. The listing at IrishTokens.co.uk gives specific dates and inscriptions for the many known varieties. The BRITISH GIRLS pattern is mentioned at this web site.

As to value, most of these coins that still exist today are in horrible condition. Muenzen und Medaillen's piece is among the best. If you can find one better, it would be worth quite a bit of money. CoinQuest's rough estimate of value runs like this:

worn: $60
average circulated (like the picture): $200
well preserved: $450
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